Ozark Favorites

courtesy Experience Fayetteville

BY RACHEL CARTER

THESE TOWNS DEFINE NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.

Rising out of the dense forests of the Ozark Mountains, the towns and cities of northwest Arkansas offer worldclass art museums and small-town charm, state-of-the-art performance venues and Victorian-era downtowns, all within a short drive of one another. Groups can take handson art classes, see renowned portraits of George Washington, ride the rails in refurbished historic train cars, watch a water-powered grist mill grind flour and see the BB gun made famous in the 1983 film “A Christmas Story.”

Together, these five communities make up a dynamic destination that has proven perennially popular with groups.

RO G E R S: HOME OF THE DAISY RED RYDER

Rogers was founded in 1881, the same year the railroad arrived, and the historic downtown is still lined with brightly painted Victorian-era buildings. A visit there “feels like a step into an authentic small-town downtown,” said J.R. Shaw, executive director of Visit Rogers.

In the 1983 film “A Christmas Story,” Ralphie famously asked for “a Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time.” Rogers has been the home of Daisy Outdoor Products since 1958, and although groups can’t visit the assembly operation, they can tour the Daisy Airgun Museum in downtown to learn about the company’s history and see nearly every model Daisy ever made. Although the gun in the movie never existed — a different model had the compass and clock — Daisy now puts out an anniversary edition of Ralphie’s Red Ryder gun every five years. It is available only through the museum.

On the same block, groups can take in an Arkansas Public Theatre show or tour the 1927 Victory Theater building. Also near downtown, visitors can picnic or stroll on trails at Lake Atalanta Park.

North of town, the Pea Ridge National Military Park was the site of the Battle of Pea Ridge. At the

visitor center, groups can watch a film and explore exhibits about the decisive Civil War battle that took place in March 1862.

Groups will find several sites east of town along Highway 12. At Hobbs State Park, they can learn about local wildlife and habitats at the visitor center or during ranger-led nature walks, Shaw said. On neighboring Beaver Lake, travelers can go kayaking in the summer or take bald-eagle-watching pontoon cruises in the winter.

At War Eagle Mill, groups can watch the waterwheel-powered gristmill in action, eat breakfast or lunch at the Bean Palace Café and shop for flours and meals in the store. Guided cave tours are available at the nearby War Eagle Cavern.

WWW.VISITROGERSARKANSAS.COM

A beautiful Arkansas and Missouri Railroad Pass near Fort Smith

Courtesy Fort Smith CVB

FORT SMITH: ARKANSAS TERRITORY OUTPOST

On December 25, 1817, soldiers arrived in the Arkansas Territory to establish the first Fort Smith. On Christmas Day 2017, the city kicked off a yearlong bicentennial celebration that features concerts, dramatic re-enactments and special events.

The Fort Smith National Historic Site is a sprawling park dotted with historic buildings, including the commissary, the federal courthouse and the 1903 train depot. Groups can arrange for guided tours, ranger talks or living-history re-enactments, and Floyd and Sue Robison are available to portray Judge Isaac C. Parker and his wife, Mary.

The Fort Smith Museum of History has been in continuous operation since 1910. Inside the four-story former warehouse, groups can explore recently updated museum exhibits and artifacts, including an 1862 cannon used by Union troops. The museum’s soda fountain is a “working exhibit” where visitors can order ice cream and old-fashioned fountain drinks.

Miss Laura’s Visitor Center is a restored row house that was once a bordello. Groups can arrange for Carolyn Joyce, tour and travel sales director for Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau, to

portray the madam, Miss Laura, during a guided tour. Afterward, they can enjoy a barbecue dinner and take in a “medicine show” across the street at an indoor-outdoor pavilion overlooking the Arkansas River.

Construction is underway on the new $50 million, star-shaped U.S. Marshals Museum, slated to open in fall 2019. The Chaffee Crossing Historic District is the site of World War II-era barracks and buildings, and visitors will find several museums there, including the Chaffee Barbershop Museum where Elvis Presley received his famous first G.I. buzz cut.

The CVB can also arrange guided walking tours of nearly 30 murals and sculptures throughout downtown.

WWW.FORTSMITH.ORG

Fort Smith murals

Courtesy Fort Smith CVB

BENTONVILLE: AMERICAN ART SHOWCASE

Bentonville has two claims to fame. In addition to being home to Walmart’s headquarters, it is home to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. But the city is so much more.

One of Bentonville’s newest additions is the 8th Street Market, anchored by Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food, which opened in January 2017. Developers reimagined a former Tyson fried chicken plant as a community-focused food hub. Visitors can taste what’s on tap at the Bike Rack Brewing Co., grab a bite at Yeyo’s Mexican Grille or buy sweets at Markham and Fitz chocolatier — and new restaurants and vendors are lining up, said Andrea Ritchie, communications manager for Visit Bentonville.

With advance notice, Brightwater can provide guided tours of its culinary school, including the greenhouse and garden; arrange cooking demonstrations; lead cooking classes; and dish up meals for groups.

In downtown, groups will find a historic square surrounded by restaurants and boutiques, as well as free tip-based pedicabs that were just introduced this spring. Sam Walton opened his five-and-dime

store on the town square in 1950, and the store today houses the Walmart Museum, where groups can take guided tours or dine at the Spark Café.

Visitors will find public art throughout downtown. The 21c Museum Hotel’s art galleries and exhibits are free and open to the public every day, and public art dots the half-mile trail leading to Crystal Bridges. The museum owns an extensive collection of Colonial, 19th-century, modern and contemporary pieces, but the sparkling white-and-glass building is itself a work of modern art. Crystal Bridges offers group tours for 10 to 60 people, and the museum’s guided Trails Tour of the grounds boasts 3.5 miles of sculpture-dotted walking trails.

Groups also enjoy visiting the Museum of Native American History and guided tours of the 1875 Peel Mansion and gardens, Ritchie said.

WWW.VISITBENTONVILLE.COM

Arkansas and Missouri Railroad

Courtesy Experience Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE: RAILROAD AND RAZORBACKS

Fayetteville is the state’s third-largest city, but it’s most famous as a college town. More than 25,000 University of Arkansas students call the city home, and thousands more people visit for Razorback football games and other sporting events. Groups can explore the hilltop campus and stroll among its trees, historic buildings and outdoor artwork. Completed in 1875, Old Main is both the campus centerpiece and the university’s oldest building still standing.

Visitors can sample Fayetteville’s flavors on the Fayetteville Ale Trail, which includes 11 craft breweries and one cidery, according to Hazel Hernandez, director of marketing and communications for Experience Fayetteville.

Along with sampling flights of craft beer, groups can take brewery tours and get behind-the-scenes looks at the brewing process. For more local flavor, visitors shouldn’t skip Catfish Hole, a local favorite and a group standby since

1994 and famous for its hush puppies.

The Arkansas and Missouri Railroad is one of the nation’s few remaining commercial lines with both freight and passenger service. During three different scenic excursions through the Ozark Boston Mountains, passengers ride in refurbished antique passenger or parlor cars that pass through the quartermile Winslow Tunnel and travel over trestle bridges 125 above the ground.

The Walton Arts Center is a performing-arts venue that features live theater and concerts, including Broadway shows such as “School of Rock,” “Jersey Boys” and “Les Misérables,” and is home to the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. Discount tickets are available for groups of 10 or more.

WWW.EXPERIENCEFAYETTEVILLE.COM

Downtown Eureka Springs

Courtesy Eureka Springs CAPC

EUREKA SPRINGS: HILLSIDE VICTORIAN CHARM

Eureka Springs is a preserved, Victorian-era gem, and the entire city is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Century-old stone buildings line steep downtown streets, and elegant Victorian homes climb the hillsides.

Groups can explore the historic city during a Eureka Springs Tram Tour that showcases the historic downtown business district dotted with natural springs as well as the adjacent neighborhoods, where many of the gingerbread homes are now bed-and-breakfasts. Many of the city’s 64 springs can be found bubbling up in downtown, including one of the most prominent springs at Basin Spring Park, a popular spot for free concerts, art festivals and craft fairs.

During a Downtown Underground Tour, groups can see what used to be the street level of downtown Eureka Springs; it went underground when the city raised Main Street — nicknamed “Mud Street” for how often it flooded — an entire building story. At the Mud Street Café, a window in the floor

shows the spring beneath the 1888 building that contributed to the flooding.

In addition to its Victorian vibe, the mountain town is renowned for its arts community. The Eureka Springs School of the Arts has seven studios and offers “build your own workshop” options for groups that want to customize their experience. With enough advance notice, the school will find an instructor to teach workshops in jewelry-making, painting, woodworking — basically any medium a group wants to explore.

During its season, which runs March through October, the school also offers weekly studio strolls, during which guests can explore the campus and watch demonstrations from that week’s instructors.

WWW.EUREKASPRINGS.ORG